Thursday, September 6, 2007

What's My Body Shape?

All women have different body shapes. Weight is often distributed unequally in the body. Some women carry more weight in their upper torso, while other women are heavier in their hips and thighs. Whatever your shape happens to be, there is clothing that can hide your least favorite features and highlight your best features. This knowledge can be particularly helpful to plus size women, who often resort to wearing clothes that cover up their entire body with tons of fabric.

Women with an hour glass body type have an overall curvy shape with a defined waist. The shoulders, bust and hips are the same width. They have a medium to large bust, and fleshy, average size upper arms. The hour glass body type is also characterized by full, round buttocks and slender lower legs. The goal for women with an hourglass shape is to accentuate the waistline and lower legs, and balance heavier hips and thighs, which are the widest part of the body.

Women with an oval shape body, also called apple shape, have similar sized bust, waist and hips. They have an undefined waist, square hips and a small bust. They also have slim arms and legs, and flat buttocks. The goal for women with an oval shaped body is to minimize the middle and upper torso, where most of the weight is carried, and highlight slender legs.

The triangle, or pear, body type has a smaller upper half and larger lower half. These women have larger hips, thighs and rear, and smaller shoulders and bust. Triangle shaped women also have a defined waist, and fleshy buttocks. The goal for triangle shapes is to balance the upper and lower halves, and accentuate their waist.

The final body type, the inverted triangle, is characterized by a top heavy appearance, with a full bust, waist, and upper back. They are less full in the hips and have a flat rear. The hips, thighs, buttocks and lower legs are smaller in proportion to the top half. The goal for inverted triangles is to balance the upper and lower half and accentuate shapely arms and legs.

Dressing for your body type will help you choose clothing that will look better on you, and make you feel more confident and beautiful.